Writing Resources: The First Draft


I see you, Nano-ers! I see you prepping your stories and stockpiling coffee. And I’m right there with you counting down the days! With Nanowrimo in mind, today we’re looking at some of my favorite writing resources for writing a great first draft.

Writing a First Draft

To start with, I believe every first draft can be written faster and stronger by using an outline. It doesn’t need to be scary or crazy complicated! But a bit of planning can go a long way.

Plotting Resources

A 24-Chapter Plot Outline For Your Novel – CreativIndie

Derek has a million great resources on his site, including videos walking us through the novel writing process. Here he breaks down a novel down into a 24-chapter outline we can adapt and use for our own writing.

Save The Cat Beat Sheet – StudioBinder

Save The Cat is a go-to resource for writers that is well known for a reason- it works! This beat sheet walks us through the 15 parts of a story and gives examples of what goes where. Originally written for film, the strategies apply to novels as well.

Story Structure 101 – Bethany Henry

Story structure gives us a framework to keep our story working and strong. Here we have info on several core story elements to guide our writing alongside a helpful infograph that I refer to constantly.

Nanowrimo time!

Alright, moving past plotting- how do we actually write a novel in a month??

Whether you’re signed up for Nanowrimo or not, these resources can guide us in creating strong first drafts without getting too bogged down or stressed out during the writing process.

How to Overcome Common Writing Obstacles and Win Every Year – Nanowrimo Blog

Okay, so it’s not all about “winning” but of course we want to do well. Any progress we make is good progress! Here are tips to make the most of November and to never give up.

4 Easy Tips to Sidestep Perfectionism and Rediscover Joy in Writing – Cheryl Reif Writes

Letting go of perfectionism is arguably the most important strategy in writing a first draft.

How To Write a Novel When You Have a Full-Time Life – Well-Storied

I love that this addresses how to write a novel when we’re already doing so many other things. Because most of us can’t drop everything for a month to do Nanowrimo but that doesn’t mean we can’t succeed!

Nanowrimo Begins! 30 Tips for Conquering Your 30-Day Writing Challenge – Writer’s Digest

A lot of great perspectives and advice here from lots of different points of view and experiences.

Steps to Success Nanowrimo Edition: 21 Tips for Accomplishing Big Writing Goals – Bethany Henry

I published this list of Nanowrimo tips last year and they’re still true today! You can also check out all my posts on Getting Started and First Drafts for more strategies.

For Further Reading:

Want even more? Download my free ebook Steps to Success: How To Make Your Dream Novel A Reality, take a look at my resources page, and check out my writing resources board on pinterest.


For all you Nanowrimoers out there- good luck!!!

And as always, feel free to comment below or send me a note anytime! I love hearing from you guys. 🙂


2 thoughts on “Writing Resources: The First Draft

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